Who was ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb?
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'If there were a prophet after me, it would be ʿUmar.' The man whose justice became legendary and whose conquests reshaped the ancient world.
10 passages from 5 books in the library
The cited passages portray ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb as a humble, awe-struck Companion and a witness to the Prophet's teaching. Al-Ghazali, in the Iḥyāʾ, records his self-effacement before Abū Bakr: "a night and a day of Abū Bakr are better than ʿUmar and the family of ʿUmar." ʿUmar is shown among those who at first denied the Prophet's death, and as the commander of the faithful who wrote letters of governance and transmitted hadith — including reports on the Battle of Badr and on zakat — passages that establish his standing as a leading authority of the early community.
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 5 books by Imam al-Ghazali and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Umar then began to cry again, saying, by Allah, a night and a day of Abu Bakr are better than Umar and the family of Umar."
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"Umar said, by Allah, a night from Abu Bakr and a day are better than the entire house of Umar and the family of Umar."
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"Ata grasped Umar ibn Abdul Aziz's arm firmly and said, oh Umar, the matter is serious, so be serious."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"him out, and Abdullah ibn Umar sought permission, saying, Umar ibn al-Khattab requests to be"
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"others sat unable to move. Umar ibn al-Khattab was among those who denied his death, Ali was among"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Then he said, O Umar, O Umar, to which I replied, May Allah have mercy on you, Umar has not"
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"Umar wrote to him, from Umar ibn al-Khattab, the commander of the faithful, to Uwaymir,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"This is agreed upon in a similar narration from Umar ibn al-Khattab previously mentioned in the Zakat section."
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"Now regarding the Battle of Badr, it is recorded by Muslim from the Hadith of Umar ibn al-Khattab"
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
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"caliphs Umar ibn al-Khattab and Ali ibn Abi Talib while cursing Yazid ibn Muawiyah and speaking ill"
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